Salzburg plans divided fan zones for UEFA Super Cup

Salzburg will set up two fan zones and a large public viewing area for next week’s UEFA Super Cup between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa of Birmingham, ORF reported. The match in Klessheim is already sold out.

The fan zones will be located in Salzburg’s historic city centre and separated by supporters’ groups. Paris Saint-Germain fans will gather at Alter Markt, while Aston Villa supporters will meet at Kapitelplatz. A large screen will be installed at Residenzplatz for a live broadcast of the match.

About 30,000 football fans are expected to join the visitors who already fill the city for its annual festivals. Jochen Höfferer, an event manager at Salzburg city administration, called hosting the Super Cup an honour and said the visiting football fans could become festival fans in the future.

Some residents oppose the plans and question the decision by the city and the province to spend 400,000 euros on the fan event. They said the festivities could instead be held outside the already crowded historic centre, for example near the stadium in Klessheim, and complained that they had not been adequately informed.

Residents also cited noise, restricted access and litter as concerns. Johann Reißmeier, dean of Salzburg Cathedral and a resident of Kapitelplatz, said some events had left the courtyard of his building being used as a public toilet.

The city said it was in dialogue with businesses and residents and acknowledged that the event would be a burden. About 70 private security personnel and an undisclosed number of police officers will be deployed next Wednesday. Additional barriers will be installed to prevent vehicles from driving into the crowds, city official Christian Morgner said.